Tuesday, June 30, 2009

The late, great George Carlin once said,“A house is just a pile of stuff with a cover on it.”

When you have to downsize, selling your house is usually not as difficult as dealing with your belongings. Likely your grown children are working full-time, running around to their kids activities and, bottomline, they do not want your items. Because ... well, they have a home full of stuff, too.

Help is available through the National Association of Senior Move Managers (NASMM). This organization (which yours truly is a proud member) is dedicated to assisting older adults and families with the physical and emotional demands of downsizing, relocating, or modifying their homes. A Senior Move Manager understands the difficult experience of moving from a long-time residence and makes that move as stress-free as possible.

The most popular services with NASMM customers are:1. Un-packing and setting up the new home2. Move planning and move oversight3. Sorting services4. Disposal/distribution of remaining items5. Packing services6. Customized floor plans

You may have family member available to help you with your move. Fantastic!Beware of those deep family buttons that can be pushed, resulting in rising tensions and stress.

Even if you have family or friends who are willing to help you, a Senior Move Manager possesses expertise and experience, providing you with economical and insightful solutions as well as connections to local resources to expedite your move.

The result: No family buttons to be pressed + less tension and less stress = happy move

Bonus side tip: If tensions do begin to rise,I always tell the family to blame me for all the decisions.That way peace can remain in the family.

Monday, June 22, 2009

Constantly questing for that perfect organizing product, only to get frustrated because it just doesn't seem to exist?

Well, so am I.

Now by having pretty boxes, bins and bags you will not magically become organized. Though, Clever Container offers you some unique and wonderful items to help maintain your new found organized home.

Organized Solutions is excited to announce a partnership with Clever Container to provide you unique organizing products.

Their catalog is separated into:BoysGirlsStoreBathKitchenOfficeCraftAuto

The items are of exceptional quality and the prices are very reasonable. If you need more information about anything you see or wish to host your own Clever Container social, contact me for more details.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Moving is an exciting and stressful time.It will be compounded if you have not even finished unpacking from a previous move.

Knowing they were going to be in this home temporarily, Soul and her family never sorted through all the boxes stacked in their garage. On top of those boxes, were more boxes and items tossed adding to the pile of stuff. Their fishing gear was scattered about the perimeter of the piles which left them climbing over items to get in and out of the garage.

With the Soul family frustrations rising, time had come to purge. Plus with a new home in the very near future, something had to be done. They have a storage unit where they keep their bass boat.

The game plan we came up with was to sort through the boxes: keep, donate/curb, storage and trash.

Keep items were mainly fishing gear, tools and garden stuff.Donate/curb items were things the family knew they would not need, but others could use. We had a couple mattresses, chairs, dresser, books, etc. These items quickly disappeared as we worked.Storage items were mainly boxes that had not been opened from the previous move because they were waiting to get into their permanent home.Trash ... big pile of papers, torn boxes and broken items.

Ideally, The Soul family wanted their boat in the garage for easy access. So, we swapped and transferred the storage boxes into the storage unit and the boat came home. As the Soul family packs up for their final move,they can add those boxes to the storage unit. On the big move day, the Soul family will have a much smaller number of the time consuming boxes to shift and can focus getting their furniture situated and slowly bring in boxes to unpack in their new home.

A project that would have taken days for the Soul family to complete, began at 9am and finished before 2pm -- under 5 hours!!

Since Soulman was focused on hauling the storage boxes, he has a few to sort in the garage yet. Though he'll get them done before the move date.

We conquered this "garage from hell," as Soul called it.The Soul family is ready for their boat to come home and start packing for their final move.

Completing this project will make moving into their new home sooo much easier. I am thankful I was able to help the Soul family with this organizing adventure to Dallas, Texas.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

You know the feeling as the tiniest piece of woodjabs its way right into your finger.

OUCH!!

If you're lucky, you can pluck that bad boy out quickly. Aaaahh, instant relief.Amazing how such a small innocent item can reek havoc on your whole body. If you are not able to get your splinter out, your finger will T-H-R-O-B all day long.

There are all kinds of trick to removing a splinter:GlueTapeNeedlesIce CubesTweezersPreparation H (hey I just googled it)

Bottom line: GET IT OUT and you will feel better.

What does a splinter and Preparation H have to do with organizing?(frankly Preparation H has nothing to do with it)

Look around your home. I bet big money that there is at least one item that you are keeping because your mom/daughter/friend gave you and you don't even like it.You NEVER liked it.Yet, there it is in your big beautiful home.

Like a splinter in your finger all day long... throbbing... getting swollen... red and painful.

This corncob riding cowgirl figurine has been in your home for years.You look at it every day.You have to dust it (I hate dusting)You move it to another spot, but it doesn't help.You walk past it and think,"I wish I could get rid of it, but I don't want to hurt ___'s feelings."

Time to get that splinter of a corncob out of your home!Let it go.

Likely the person who gave it to you, will not be offended. They probably don't even think about that gift any longer. And if they are upset, well, they're just not that great of a friend to begin with.

Guarantee that by removing that one item from your home you will feel a sense of relief, just as you do when you slide that tiniest piece of wood out of your finger.

Tuesday, June 09, 2009

When was the last time you received a letter addressed to youthat wasn't a bill, notice or sales advertisement?I'm talking about a letter for you,written with the intent of caring or gratitude.

Michigan State Senator, Randy Richardville, took the time to write Matthew this letter acknowledging his recent achievement in receiving the Arrow of Light in Scouting. Mr. Richardville must have read about it in our local paper.

Matthew said he had no idea what to expect as he opened the letter in front of his school classmates. Then he read it and everyone cheered!

WOW!

Thank you Mr. Richardville for creating an amazing memory for my son.I will remember the joy and pride on his face forever.

Easy Find Lids - Hallelujah! Finally no more will plastic containers forever be parted with their matching lid because these lids snap to the bottom of the containers or can all be stacked together as a happy family.

Premier - Easy to seal. Easy to clean. Easy to store. The storing part I LOVE! The lids snap to the bottom of each container or you can stack all the lids together. Plus, the containers all nest into each other. YEAH!!

I also performed an impromptu drop test as my homemade salsa came "flying" out of my fridge and hit the floor. Terrified to look down, I was shocked to see my salsa safely secure inside my premier container. Joy.

Produce Saver - Being a single chick, my produce tends to turn south before I can munch it all up. Thank you Rubbermaid for your Produce Saver line! It's green which is just a happy color. Bonus, my fruits & veggies last much longer and still crispy fresh. The tray snaps to the lid, and the lid snap to the bottom of the container. yeah, everything is together. LOVE IT!!

Lock-Its - For the extra security of 4 locking tabs on the lid with a rubberized seal, nothing is going to get out of these bad boys. Perfect for taking your favorite soup into work for lunch or storing your make-up items in the bottom of your gym bag. The lids will not pop off. ... yes, the lids snap to the bases, so organizing is a snap. Happiness.

All these Rubbermaid products are dishwasher, microwave and freezer safe. Plus they all nest together. No longer must you tear apart your kitchen to finding matching lids and bowls. Thank you Rubbermaid for making organizing easier. All with the lifetime guarantee, too.

Tuesday, June 02, 2009

Like squirrels, we all stock up a bit more food for the long, cold winter months.Though ... HELLO, Spring is breezing right into Summer in a matter of days now.

Time to take a look through your collection of can goods and pantry items.Anything dusty?Label faded?Stuff you don't even like?Do you REALLY need 12 cans of green beans?

Set these items aside for donation.

Now, take a look and make sure cookies and peanut butter jars are not hiding in your plates or glasses. Bring all your pantry items into one area of your kitchen. This not only makes it easy to see all the food you have available, it will also save you from buying more of what you already have in your home.

Finally, set up your own family grocery store. There is a reason stores are set up this way, it's practically been perfected. All you have to do is duplicate it in your own home. Use your grocery store to reorganize your pantry items: Canned goods, pasta, snacks, condiments, etc.

Take your faded, unopened items to your favorite shelter to be used by so many other families in need.